Active Essex and Epping Forest District Council are getting together to support Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can ’campaign with a festival next month.

Aimed at encouraging women of all ages and abilities to have fun, be active and improve their wellbeing the ‘Women Like Us’ Essex Festival takes place on Sunday 7 October at Zinc Arts, Ongar between 10am and 2pm.

Throw it back at 90’s Music Aero Classes, let your feet fly at Kickboxing, or take great strides at Walking Netball – whatever gets you up and moving there’s an activity for you at the Epping Women Like Us Festival!

Register now

If you can’t wait to work up a sweat and want to bag your place in the session of your choice, make sure you register your interest in advance to seal your spot. It’s first come first served and spaces will disappear fast, so don’t be­ disappointed!

There are lots of sporting activities to choose from, including kick boxing, yoga, pilates and dance.

Flower arranging and tapestry

There are also flower arranging and tapestry workshops, life skills and wellbeing sessions along with tea, coffee and refreshments available all day from the onsite café.

Sport England

“The ‘This Girl Can’ programme was started by Sport England to encourage more women into sport. Our festival widens that programme by encompassing wellbeing and craft activities too,” said Cllr Helen Kane, portfolio holder for Leisure and Community Services.

“It promises to be a fun packed day for the women of Epping Forest, so please come along.”

Registration and workshops

Some workshops need to be booked in advance, when you register, while others can be signed up for on the day.

Sign-up starts at 9:30am and activities begin at 10am. Everyone will be encouraged to stay to join a stretch and cool session at the end of the day.

Suicides are more prevalent among men than women in Essex and the most vulnerable age group is men between the ages of 35 and 64.

10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day – an annual event to raise awareness of the 800,000 suicides worldwide every year.

Epping Forest District Council is part of the West Essex Stay Safe team which is today launching a ‘call to action’ of partner organisations in the area to not only raise awareness of suicides, but also to encourage people to talk about suicide and feel confident in doing so.

Suicide is among the top 20 causes of death globally

135 relatives, friends, colleagues, are profoundly affected by each suicide

Everyone can make a contribution to preventing suicide

Everyone can help

“Don’t be afraid to approach someone you think isn’t coping. Just showing that you care will be a positive step towards supporting them,” said Cllr Sam Kane, Portfolio Holder for Safer, Greener and Transport.

“You don’t have to be able to solve their problems but if you feel you can, offer support and encourage them to talk about how they’re feeling. Ask direct questions and don’t be afraid of frank discussions. Many people do want a chance to talk but don’t want to burden anyone around them.”

New tariffs for long stay parking, funding for the Citizens Advice Bureau, Corporate Enforcement Policy, Local Council Tax Support Scheme and Amenity Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) were discussed at a meeting of Epping Forest District Council’s Cabinet on 6 September.

New parking charges to encourage high street shoppers

New Pay and Display parking charges to encourage more shoppers into local town centres were approved by Epping Forest District Council’s Cabinet meeting on 6 September.

Councillor Sam Kane, Cabinet Portfolio Holder responsible for parking responded to a public question from Loughton Town Councillor Tom Owen, speaking on behalf of Loughton Town Centre Partnership.

Anticipating a full report later in the agenda, Councillor Kane drew attention to the pressure on town centre carparks from all day commuter parking. Increasing the cost of all day commuter parking, Councillor Kane outlined the aim to encourage more shoppers into the District’s local high streets by freeing up spaces and keeping short stay charges low.

Existing tariffs of just 20p for 30 minutes, 80p or 90p for up to one hour and £1.60 or £1.80 for two hours are to be retained while long stay and season ticket tariffs will be brought more into line with local London Underground carparks.

Other Items

Council Leader, Councillor Chris Whitbread also asked fellow councillors to note the substantial funding provided by Epping Forest District Council to the Citizens Advice Bureau. This followed attendance by members of the Bureau at a meeting of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Other items covered by Cabinet included the Council’s Corporate Enforcement Policy, Local Council Tax Support Scheme, Amenity Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), Christmas and New Year staff working arrangements, the Council’s Staff Appeals Process and the latest report from the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee.

Responding to reports from Housing Portfolio Holder, Syd Stavrou, Councillor Chris Whitbread also paid tribute to council staff for their quick and co-ordinated response to the fire in Burton Road.

New legislation for animal businesses is being introduced by the Government, taking effect from 1 October 2018.

The new rules cover animal boarding businesses (including home boarders and day carers), dog breeders, pet shops and riding establishments.

They will all be covered under a single type of license known as an ‘animal activity licence‘, with new nationally-set license conditions for businesses providing animal-related services.

More businesses will need a licence

“We cannot change these conditions as they are already set in the legislation,” said Councillor Nigel Avey, Portfolio Holder for Environment.

“Businesses operating with these activities will need to comply with the new conditions, and will be assessed before the license is granted to make sure they can meet them. It means more businesses will require a license and I would advise anyone who is unsure, to check now with our licensing team.”

Licences in place by 1 October 2018

Those businesses operating under current licences will be able to continue to do so until the expiry date of their licence. All applications to renew licences will be under the new legislation.

New applicants will need to have their licences in place by 1 October 2018.

Applications are open for the Creativity Award 2019. The award is open to every young person in the district, aged between 13 and 25 years.

Support developing your skills

If you or your group have a real talent or interest in the arts, culture and heritage, we would like to support you in developing your skills.

A single award, of up to £1000, is available to individuals and groups (with a minimum of 3 people) who are looking for support for their creative activity. A group can already be established (i.e. art clubs, theatre groups, choirs or orchestras) or be newly formed. The award is also open to heritage projects and all young people’s programmes through our museum service.

Apply

Applicants are required to show their commitment to their area of interest and explain how the award will help them develop their talent. They must be able to demonstrate that they are actively pursuing their interest through volunteering, education, exhibition or performance.

Lots of people will be planning a barbecue over the bank holiday weekend, so Epping Forest District Council’s Environmental Health team has put together some top tips to help prevent food poisoning.

Be aware of the dangers

With an estimated 1 million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year as a consequence of unsafe barbecue food, it is important to be aware of the dangers of foodborne diseases, such as Campylobacter, listeria and salmonella.

Environment Portfolio Holder Cllr Nigel Avey said :“A summer of sports, weddings and scorching weather means many of us have been experiencing full barbecue fever. The hot weather this summer means anyone planning a barbecue needs to be even more careful.

“Most of us know the danger of not cooking chicken all the way through, but we need to have the same vigilance when it comes to burgers and sausages. A common misconception is that burgers are like steak and can be eaten rare, but when they are still pink in the middle, they are three times more likely to contain harmful bacteria.”

Top tips for staying food safe

Here are our ten easy tips for staying food safe when cooking on the barbie:

COME CLEAN
Wash your hands thoroughly before cooking and eating. Wash your utensils and serving dishes in between use, taking special care not to mix up dishes used for holding raw food with dishes for cooked food.

KEEP YOUR COOL
Defrost food in the fridge, NOT at room temperature, and ensure it is fully defrosted before cooking. When storing cooked food, cool it at room temperature before putting it in the fridge, and make sure you get it in the fridge within 2 hours.

FRIDGE CHECK
Generally, the colder the temperature, the slower the germs grow, so regularly check your fridge is cold enough – it should be below 5°C.

Avoid cross contamination by storing raw meat separately from ready-to-eat foods. Use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food. Do not prepare food for others if you suffering from an illness e.g. vomiting and/or diarrhoea.

STAYING COOL ON THE GO
Continue to keep food cool by using a cool box when heading out for a picnic or barbecue. Keep the lid on as much as possible and don’t leave food out for longer than two hours – or one hour if it’s very hot.

FEEL THE HEAT
Cook food at the right temperature and for the correct length of time to ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. If using a probe thermometer, the thickest part of the meat should reach 70°c for 2 minutes. Turn meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly.

MARINADE MINDFULLY
When applying a marinade to meat, be careful. Don’t baste partially and cooked meat with a marinade that has been used on raw meat, as this can lead to cross-contamination. If you would like to apply the marinade again as a baste – boil it in a pan, and it will be safe to use.

DON’T BEEF UP THE BARBIE
Never overload your barbecue and remember that disposable barbecues take longer to heat up and cook food, so be patient!

CHECK IT’S DONE
Always check that meat juices run clear and that no pink meat is visible when cutting through the thickest part. Remember, charred on the outside doesn’t always mean cooked on the inside!

FINAL FINISH
Consider cooking all chicken and pork in the oven and then giving them a final ‘finish’ on the barbecue where possible. This ensures that meat is safely cooked through, whilst retaining that great smoky barbecue flavour.

New licensing laws for landlords, which further protect tenants in Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) from poor living conditions, come into effect on 1 October from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Landlords who let a property to five or more people – from two or more separate households – must be licensed by their local housing authority.

The move gives Epping Forest District Council more powers to crack down on those landlords who are renting out sub-standard and overcrowded homes.

The new rules set minimum size requirements for bedrooms in HMOs to prevent overcrowding, and landlords must adhere to council refuse schemes to reduce problems with rubbish.

What happens if I don’t?

Prosecution or a Civil Penalty of up to £30,000 for committing an offence

Banning Order – You may be banned from operating as a landlord or agent in the private rented sector

Up to 12 months’ rent and/or housing benefit can be claimed back by the tenant and/or the Council

Any Section 21 notice requiring a tenant to leave the property will not be valid.

Property standards

In addition to general requirements affecting all rented properties, a licensed HMO will need to meet the Essex HMO Amenity Standards. These set the amount of bathroom, toilet and kitchen facilities, together with the sleeping and communal living space required, depending on the size of the property.

Updated information

If you have received a phone call, email or message from Epping forest District Council Elections Team asking for some further information, please respond before Friday 21 September 2018.

Around 38.000 households in Epping Forest District responded to their Household Enquiry Forms almost as soon as they received them in August– but there are still 18,500 outstanding.

Use an automated service

More than half of those who responded did so by using an automated service – online/phone/text

And to keep costs down we need most of the remaining households to use a similar method because last year we spent £20,000 on sending out reminders.

Get your responses back to us

The HEF forms are a crucial part of our annual canvass of electors which begins in August every year. The first deadline has passed so we would urge everyone who hasn’t already done so, to get their responses back to us immediately.

There is a second stage to the registration process for new people added to the Household Enquiry Form. Unless this is done they won’t be able to vote in any elections or referendums.